Former India opener Aakash Chopra feels that the exclusion of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane from the Indian team for the first two Tests against England was as expected. However, he believes that Ajinkya Rahane will remain in the national team scheme for longer than the Saurashtra batsman based on his IPL stints.

The Indian selectors recently announced a 16-member Indian squad for the first two Tests against England to be played in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. Despite the poor performance of the Indian batsmen in the recently concluded Test series against South Africa, neither Cheteshwar Pujara nor Ajinkya Rahane were withdrawn for the England tour and it seems the doors are closed for these two.

Aakash Chopra feels the doors of the Test team are closed for Pujara and Rahane. However, he believes that the latter could remain in dispute for a little longer. He reasoned on his YouTube channel, “The template is in the expected line. We expected Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara not to be there. I feel like that chapter is closed. If you didn’t pick them up in South Africa, that was the last chance to do it. If you did not choose them there, you will not return to them.”

“Ajinkya Rahane’s IPL career is alive, so he will continue to be a bit more relevant because you become part of the conversation every time you do well in the IPL. It is not important to play in Chennai. Playing for Chennai is important because Dhoni is there.” added the former India opener.

Ajinkya Rahane called back to Test squad for WTC finals in 2023

Ajinnkya Rahane was recalled to the Test squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) finals against Australia in June 2023, followed by a two-Test series against the West Indies. His comeback was based on his performances for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2023. He was India’s best player with the bat in the WTC final but could not maintain his form against the West Indies and was subsequently dropped. of the team. the Australian series.

Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara have been in the Indian Test circuit since the last decade and both are great red-ball batsmen and have saved many matches for India. The famous victory at the Gabba in 2021 and the series victory in Australia were led by Ajinkya Rahane. India has now replaced both the veterans with youngsters like Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the team.

India will face England in a five-match Test series starting on January 25, with the first match to be played in Hyderabad and the second in Vishakhapatnam. The other three locations in the series are Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamshala.

India squad for first two Tests against England: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj , Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan